Our new car (probably)

Oh yeah, in the midst of everything that has been happening over the past few months, we have been looking for a new car to replace my mini-SUV. After buying the baby's car seat, we realized that we just can not fit three kids in this car with two of them needing car seats. A is going to have hers for at least another year. So, we have been looking at mini-vans and bigger SUVs.

After a lot of research, we decided to forgo the bigger SUVs and focus on the minivans. Begrudgingly, I'm going to become a minivan-driving mama. Never thought I would say that! But with a family of five soon, it just makes perfect sense, especially when we need to take at least one or two other people with us.

So, we decided to get the Toyota Sienna in Salsa Red color. With all the gas prices killing minivan sales (which since I only drive in my area, I don't think it will affect me as much), DH has been working on a deal with a dealer. The discounts we got on this car so far are unbelievable. The amount of rebates and "deals" they are offering more than make up for the extra gas that we would use for at least a couple of years! It is so obvious that dealers are hurting to get rid of these vehicles, and we'll be able to get this one well below market value WITH the features we want!

DH has taken both kids and test drove it -- I, of course, can only look at pictures on the internet and the brochure he brought home. But, I trust him.

I hope to get it soon. Before the baby gets here. My parents are planning to come right out after the baby is born, and it would be nice not to have to use two cars all the time for rides around to and from places. So, we'll see how that goes.

Oy, I'm going to be driving a minivan. How did I get here? :)

Not quite as planned...

A was home today since it was Tuesday. E has camp this week, so he is entertained there. I was looking forward to some mommy-A time today. However, I ended up having a horrible reaction to my medication today and must have slept most of the day away. I felt horrible because A ended up watching three movies today (more or less). DH was going to come home around 2 PM, but the person who was supposed to come take over for him didn't show up until almost 4 PM. By that time he picked up E and went to get dinner.

I felt so bad. It was all I could do to make her lunch today without feeling like I was going to just pass out. We didn't play together at all, though she did cuddle with me for awhile while I slept. I must have taken three 90-minute naps along with about 3 or 4 15- to 20-minute dozes. That is what seems to happen lately when I get a bad reaction -- my body just feels so completed wasted, I get lightheaded, and the only thing I can do is sleep.

I can't wait until this pregnancy is done. I want to play with my daughter (and son) again.

My ladybug

Gosh, since I can remember bringing her home, I've always called A "my ladybug." I'm not sure why I started doing this, but usually when I pick her up from preschool, I will give her a huge hug and say "how was my little ladybug today?" or even in the house I will just call her that.

As I mentioned before, she is having a rough time lately with me being on bedrest. Especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when she doesn't have preschool. Unfortunately, the school is booked solid on those days, and we can't get her in. In the long run though, I do enjoy the time with her, even if it is just sitting on the bed or couch watching movies, doing nails, or just "chatting."

She is very excited about her new sister. She tells everyone she meets that she is going to be a big sister. She kisses my belly. It is just so dang sweet.

However, she made the comment the other night when she was in one of her clingy moods that she was mad at her sister. When I asked her why, she said because her "baby sister" gets to sleep with me at night and she doesn't. (We don't let her sleep in our bed overnight unless there is a good reason like thunder or something scary). Totally took me by surprise because that is just a comment I would have never expected. I tried to explain to her that the baby has to sleep with me because she is in my tummy.

So it made me think of what happens after we bring this baby home. Our plan was to keep her in our room in a pack'n'play/bassinette for a couple of months before moving her into her own room with the crib. I wonder how A is going to react to the baby sleeping with us every night?

I KNOW she is going to have a tough time when I have to spend the night in the hospital for however many nights. I've already tried talking to her about it, but it just ends up in a lot of pouting and tears. She wants to sleep with me there. DH and I agreed that during those nights I'm not at home, he'll let her fall asleep in bed with him and move her over to her room later.

She made the comment tonight at dinner (with her pouty face) that she was sad because I don't call her ladybug that much anymore. Honestly, I still think I do it just as much, but it made me realize how much she really likes it when I do it. For quite a few months up until I got put on bedrest, she didn't want me calling her ladybug anymore, but instead she wanted me to call her "pumpkin," which is my mom's nickname for her.

I told DH tonight that I want to get A a stuffed ladybug that I can give her before I go into the hospital. Just something from me to her that is special to both of us. He loved the idea, and now he, of course, has the job of adding that to his overloaded responsibilities. Even though she has dozens of stuffed animals, I think maybe just one special one might help bridge that gap somehow.

Think we may make 34 weeks

Got back from my doctor's appointment, and even though my BP was 146/88, he wasn't too concerned at this point. I brought him up to date on my symptoms, and everything seemed "normal."

We did another nonstress test today, and again, the first time he wasn't happy with the results because the baby's strip was basically a straight line. I guess that means "nonreactive." However, after drinking a box of juice, the baby became more active, and the doctor seemed much more reassured with the results. Guess I should drink juice immediately before the next test. He is going to do them each week.

I come back on Friday morning to do an ultrasound (yay!) to make sure the baby is still growing as she should. It has already been a month since the last one, can you believe it? Also, I have to bring in my 4th 24-hour urine collection to be analyzed for preeclampsia.

I can't believe I've been on bedrest for a month. It has been a miserable month. I just know that it has to end soon. I mean, she can't stay in there forever! But for now, unless something happens between now and Friday's appointment, I feel comfortable feeling like we are going to hit that magical 34-week mark. And that is a great, great thing.

Will tomorrow bring news of the future?

I have another doctor's appointment Monday morning at 9:15 AM. I'm VERY anxious about it. After all, we are at 33-1/2 weeks, and he wanted to try and get to 34 weeks, which is Thursday. 36 weeks is his absolute goal. However, my BPs have been gradually creeping up this weekend (in the 150s/90s today), and I'm wondering if he is going to either increase my BP meds (god, I hope not just because the side effects are horrible for me) or if we are going to get set to deliver this little girl later this week! I have NO idea how this is going to play out from here!

On to happier thoughts...

The thing that stinks about being on strict bedrest is not being able to get our new baby girl's room ready. We've bought some things and washed the clothes we had purchased and that were given to us by our neighbor. I suppose maybe this 3-day weekend for my hubby and the kids we can start organizing a bit, and I can send them out on a shopping spree to get stuff. I really miss shopping!

We did get a bedroom set for the nursery. It is really cute. It is from Babies R Us, and it is called Tiger Lily. We actually had the room painted when we moved in here almost 3 years ago. It was a darker rose blush type of color, and it was eventually going to be my scrapbook room. But we didn't feel like painting it over again, so we go a set that matched. This one was really cute! It should arrive some time next week.

Hitting the 33-week mark

We made it another week. Tomorrow will be the beginning of week 33. My blood pressures have remained in the 130/140s over 80/90s range. Still getting sick on the meds sometimes. Monday was the worst...I was so miserable that I ended up sleeping 15 of the 24 hours in the day, I just felt like my body was wasting away. I even called my doc's office because I was so lightheaded that I couldn't take a shower.

We have our next appt on Monday. I'm REALLY hoping that he decides it is time to deliver at the 34-week mark and not hold out to the 36 week mark. I know in my head it is better for the baby, and I would probably do it if he thought I would be able to.

But I'm so tired of feeling horrible all the time, especially being on strict bedrest for 4 weeks now. Mentally and physically, it is just exhausting. I can't really read books or magazines because my eyesight gets blurry after a short while. I can't get into movies because I just don't seem to have a very long attention span these days. I'm really worried about my hubby because he is really stressed out, especially with having to take care of me, the kids, the housework, his job, and everything else (he truly is my superman). I'm worried about A because she has really been acting out lately, hating the fact that mommy won't play with her, and wondering why mommy seems sick all of the time. She's been acting out at preschool, and even was a troublemaker yesterday at a playdate she had. E is actually handling it best of all.

I can't wait to meet this little girl. We have her name already picked out, and I just want to deliver her and meet her and hold her already.